Have you wondered how playgrounds boost mental health? Playgrounds promote unstructured play that has important benefits for children’s mental health.
When your kid is playing unstructured play, freedom is the perfect opportunity to shape their identities and make their own decisions. Especially when the rest of the day is structured and monitored by adults and rules. This has incredibly positive effects on their emotional development.
But that’s not all, here are other reasons why playgrounds may boost your child’s mental health:
Reduces stress
When your kid takes part in physical play release the body’s natural feel-good chemicals like endorphins, which have a powerful effect again stress because promote an overall sense of well-being and even work like pain-reliefs.
Also, playing allows your kid to take a break from a busy day. Of course, schedules are important to children’s development, but also is necessary for times to rest in the middle of routines.
A playground helps not just to reduce stress levels, but also it’s helpful for decreasing anxiety because encourage children to become more mindful.
Strengthens bonding with others
Getting healthy relationships from a young age is vital for mental health because good friends can be important emotional support.
A playground is the ideal setting to learn how to interact with others, make friends and connect with people who share the same interests and enjoy similar games.
Your child may experiment with shared laughs, build trust and develop empathy with their peers!
Brings joy and happiness
And of course, playing brings joy! This may be one of the most obvious benefits playgrounds have for mental health.
Physical exercise, sharing with others, having new experiences, connecting with nature, and being outdoors are all aspects that recharge your child with energy, adrenaline, and positive feelings.
When children don’t engage in unstructured play, they report feeling bored and angry, but playing makes them more enthusiastic and even puts them in a positive mood for school because increases their concentration.
There are undoubted benefits that playing can bring to your child’s mental health, not only in the short term but also in adulthood.
That’s why having a playground is an excellent investment for your kid’s well-being!
How do you think going to playgrounds was helpful to you as a child? Tell us in the comments!
